


Viral Sensation

by Christarmewn



Series: Jirachi's Twin | BONUS STORIES (btyu & others ♥) [4]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Almost Kiss, Angst, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Forgiving, Hiding Feelings, Meme, Mocking, Running Away, Teasing, accidental pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28694925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Christarmewn/pseuds/Christarmewn
Summary: Bede accidentally crashes into a mannequin while shopping with Marnie, and someone caught it on camera. The video spirals into a viral meme, and Bede panics as his carefully crafted reputation gets tarnished. The only people he has left to rely on are Gloria and Marnie.
Relationships: Beet | Bede & Mary | Marnie, Beet | Bede & Yuuri | Gloria, Beet | Bede/Mary | Marnie, Beet | Bede/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Jirachi's Twin | BONUS STORIES (btyu & others ♥) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095947
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Viral Sensation Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marnie decides to help Bede find inspiration for a new uniform because she believes his current one is too drab. After thoughtlessly offending her, she storms off and leaves him to flounder alone. He then proceeds to crash into a mannequin while exiting, and someone catches it on camera. The video haunts him up until the opening Pokémon League ceremony, where he promptly flees the field from embarrassment. Worried, Gloria goes searching for him.

Jirachi's Twin Timeline: (Present → Past)

  * **Jirachi's Twin Main Story**
  * Thanksgiving SP | You Are Precious
  * Charm and Intellect
  * Viral Sensation _(you are here)_
  * Tear me to Pieces 
  * **Consider a Friend**
    * Christmas SP | Breaking the Ice (between pt. 1 & 2) 



*Bold is a crucial chapter, indented bullet is nested within above chapter, italics is current location

* * *

“Oi. Earth to Bede.”

Bede blinked several times before batting Marnie’s hand away from his face.

“Stop,” he glared, swatting her hand away.

“ _You_ were the one spacin’ out,” she shrugged, turning back to the rows of clothes, “Now are you helpin’ me or not?”

Bede sighed, and returned his attention to the aisle.

Every year, the Pokémon league opened on the first day of spring, and concluded on the first day of winter. The start of the season was coming, meaning gyms were about to re-open for all challengers. This meant the gym leaders’ time to re-print league cards, redesign uniforms, or remodel the gyms was nearly up. Bede, being the procrastinator he was, put off getting his pictures and uniforms updated up until the current month of February, and was now forced to deal with his problems because Marnie had finally stepped in.

They were searching for inspiration to redesign Bede’s uniform, because Marnie thought it was too bland, and he had worn it for last two leagues already. With the next one approaching, it was time for him to get a redesign.

Apparently.

“What do you think of this?” she held up a formal jacket with long coattails, “Incorporating the coattails ‘ould make you look sorta’ princely, don’t you think?”

“They’d get in the way,” Bede responded flatly.

“Of what?” she shot back, “It’s not like _you’re_ doing the fighting.”

“I’m not wearing a formal jacket to a sports match. That’s ridiculous.”

She rolled her eyes and returned the jacket to its place on the aisle, “You’re not being very helpful, you know. All y’ve done since we got ‘ere is complain about my choices.”

“That’s because I don’t see a point in changing anything! My uniform is just fine as it is!”

“Have you _listened_ to your fans complain!? Great Arceus—if I hear one more wench patter on about how ‘ur uniform is too big and ‘doesn’t accentuate your manly charm’, I’m going to remove my ears with a wooden spoon!”

“That’s a bit graphic.”

“The point is,” she spun, glaring head-on into his eyes, “You’re deluded. Your outfit is plain, and drab. Plus it’s getting faded.”

“Says you,” he grumbled back, “Always picking the showiest outfits. Have you no sense of dignity, or must you feel the need to incapacitate the eyes of your entire audience to satisfy your incessant lust for attention?”

Marnie’s jaw dropped and her eyes flooded with rage instantly.

_Oh crap._

“You BRAT!” trembling with anger, Marnie thrust the rest of the clothing options into Bede’s arms, “SCREW YOU! I’m just tryin’ to help, and now you’re insulting me!? I’m so done with you! I tried ‘t be patient, but I just can’t STAND you! You’re on your own for this!”

“W-wait—Marnie!” Bede called after her, but she was already storming out of the boutique, “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean to spout off—” he stared guiltily down at the clothes in his arms, “Come back…” he sighed, and plopped the options onto a bench.

_It’s hopeless… I’ve angered the one person who could’ve helped me with this dilemma… now what?_

He slumped against the wall behind him.

_And Piers is probably going to kill me for saying all that stuff… though I suppose I deserve it. I think I went too far…_

For a few minutes, Bede let his eyes trace the patterns on the ceiling, occasionally finding curious formations that resembled faces.

Then, brushing dust off his trousers, he stood up and stretched for a moment in the aisle.

“Think I’ll grab me something to eat…” he mumbled, leaving the other clothing options behind as he retrieved his ankle-length, brown trench coat from a nearby coatrack.

Jamming his hands in his pockets, he neared a corner with his eyes glued on the exit. Making eye contact with strangers was something he loathed when he was walking alone. It was always so awkward, but he could never figure out if he should apologize or simply keep walking. Being a noteworthy person didn’t make his case much better, either—especially if they recognized him.

With the tip of his heel, he sharply cut the corner, expecting to cross the room and finally make his way outside, but instead he felt as his body slammed into something incredibly hard and sturdy. Instantly in pain, he stumbled back a few steps and rubbed a now-tender spot in the center of his forehead as he cursed angrily under his breath. He assumed he’d crashed into someone.

“Augh—so sorry… I didn’t know someone was standing—”

There were a few snickers from the corner of the room, causing Bede to look up. Instantly he realized he’d just slammed into a mannequin of all things—and had even knocked off one of its arms on accident.

His mouth slammed shut instantly, realizing he was making a fool of himself, and he spun around to notice a group of four teenage girls snickering at him, one with their phone pointed straight at him.

 _Great,_ he fumed, tucking up the collar of his coat around his neck, _Just what I needed. First Piers’ll kill me, and if he doesn’t the media will._

When he was finally outside, Bede let out a long, frustrated sigh. His face was still bright red with embarrassment, but thanks to the blue scarf he was wearing, he was able to bury his humiliation into the fluffy fibers of the fabric.

_Ugh—who cares, anyway? I’ll just forget about this and get something to eat…_

* * *

“A shot of espresso please. And let’s see…” Bede glanced timidly at the sweets, “Um… c… can I have that?”

The cashier blinked at the display of sweets.

“Oh—the tiramisu?”

Bede gave a sheepish nod.

“Alright; would you like a cake or just a slice?”

“Just a small slice is fine…” he glanced at the desserts again, “A-and can I have that raspberry vanilla bean tart too?”

“Sure.”

The cashier punched in a few buttons.

“That’ll be ₽1,205 today sir.”

Bede pulled out his debit card, punched in his four pin numbers, and waited for the transaction. When it was complete, he took his receipt, and waited for his espresso to be finished.

“Could I have your name please?”

“Oh—it’s Bede, but…” he lowered his voice, “Could you not shout it? I don’t want to draw attention… I promise I’ll stay nearby, anyway.”

“Of course sir, I’ll let the barista know.”

Satisfied, Bede stepped off to the side to wait for his order. Though he felt somewhat safe with his trench coat on, Bede could feel the gazes of people in the café. He knew there were surely some that recognized him by the glances and whispers he occasionally heard—though the amount was suspiciously larger than usual.

“That’s him, right? The gym leader?”

“Yeah—he looks just like how he does on TV.”

“Look at him ordering all those sweets—he’s so cute!”

His neck burned.

“Not as cute as that video though. Did you see it?”

“Video? What video? Show me!”

Bede glanced warily over his shoulder, noticing the voices were from a group of three teenage girls around age fifteen.

_Did they mention a video…? What’re they talking about—_

“ORDER FOR BEDE!”

Bede jolted at the sound of his name. His head swung around instantly, his bloodshot eyes landing immediately on a short, dark-skinned woman behind the counter—likely the barista. A grimace spread across his face slowly as eyes in the café searched for the one called “Bede”. Too embarrassed to move, Bede remained frozen in his place, his spine tingling with fear and frustration.

_I thought I told them not to shout!_

“ORDER FOR BEDE?” she shouted again, clearly unfamiliar with who he was.

“Sh-shut-it, I’m here!” he shrieked, marching stiffly up to the counter as she repeated his name.

If people weren’t looking before, they were certainly looking _now._

“Hey… isn’t that— _that_ guy?”

“Wow you’re right! Ha, ha!”

“Lol what a coincidence.”

_Please stop looking!_

As soon as he was in front of the counter, Bede snatched his bag of food and his espresso, and leered indignantly down at the woman. Clearly not in the mood to tolerate him, the barista simply shrugged and turned her back to continue making drinks.

“Have a nice day sir.”

Bede swallowed his insults and managed a dishonest, “You too.” before turning sharply away to exit the restaurant.

However, in his rush to escape, Bede accidentally bumped shoulders with someone waiting in line. Both of them stumbled, and the woman dropped her handbag. Luckily, Bede hadn’t spilled anything, but his embarrassment was running even higher than before as he apologized and bent down to hand her bag back to her.

“I’m so sorry ma’am—that was my bad.”

“Oh no—it’s fine. Just be careful.”

The eyes on him were increasing.

_Shoot—_

Then, dusting himself off as he stood back up, Bede glanced at the others waiting in line. Though none of them stood out, there was one girl who caught his attention. Normally he wouldn’t have noticed. She was browsing social media—nothing out of the ordinary that he hadn’t done himself; but it was the content that bothered him.

She was watching a video of _him._

There he was, crashing into the mannequin from earlier, cursing, and apologizing—just as he’d done only half an hour ago. The girls recording him were giggling, then gasping as he looked over his shoulder to notice them. Then he tucked up his collar and stormed away.

And here he was, making _another_ scene of himself.

No wonder people were staring at him.

* * *

Though Bede’s experience was unfortunate, he was able to forget about it after a week. Time passed, and it was already the start of the league. Sadly, he hadn’t come up with a new gym outfit because his one resource, Marnie, had ditched him after he insulted her. This meant he was striding onto the field with the same, plain outfit for the third year in a row. (Though admittedly, he didn’t care much.)

Waiting for his que in the sidelines, Bede stretched his legs as he listened to the announcer introduce the gym leaders. They were going by order of last year’s league placings. Kabu, Milo, Bea, Marnie, Gordie, Nessa, Raihan, and then himself—Bede, in second place for the first time.

“…And now announcing last year’s second placer! This young man, originally endorsed by our chairman, has proven to have endless potential. He’s strong, quick-witted, and always makes sure to put on a show! Give it up for our elegant master of the fey, GYM LEADER BEDE!”

He stepped out onto the field as soon as his name was announced, and waved generously at the audience. Excited whoops and whistles met his ears as everyone applauded for him, and he spoke his rehearsed line.

“I’ll make sure this year, that the champion isn’t the only one dying Galar pink! Just you watch!”

He then bowed, and slowly the applause began to die down. Overhead, the announcer continued to speak, relaying some sort of information about the league that Bede had heard every year thus far. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Bede noticed Raihan attempting to get his attention.

Mouthing “What?”, Bede turned to look at him, and instantly noticed the mischievous grin on Raihan’s face.

“Become a bit of a meme this year, eh Bede?” Raihan snickered, clearly just trying to tease him.

He glowered sourly at Raihan, “That’s none of your business.”

But before he could turn away, Raihan suddenly mimicked him. Like a mime, he feigned crashing into a mannequin, and then bowed profusely—an extreme exaggeration of Bede’s own flub from several weeks ago.

The memory came back clearly.

Just like how it’d happened back in the café, Bede could hear onlookers begin snickering. There was a group who’d caught onto Raihan’s tease, and nodded as they understood the reference. Bede’s eyes kept scanning the crowd, but the more he looked, the more people he spotted that recognized the joke.

_How many people watched that video?_

“When did—” Bede stammered, taking a step back, “When did everyone see—”

“Oh? You never knew?” Raihan grinned, “Someone uploaded a video of you crashing into a mannequin—kind of funny, but not particularly outstanding to be honest. What made it so popular were all the memes! Haven’t you seen them?”

_Memes._

_I’m a meme?_

Suddenly his ears were burning. Anger flooded through his blood and darkened his vision. The sounds of cheering suddenly changed to mocking, and the eyes of those watching became scornful. It suddenly felt like he was standing in court—gazes judgingly leering over him from every corner, each one of them whispering: “guilty”.

Bede felt like a spectacle. A toy of entertainment, not charisma. It was as if the hard work he’d done over the years to protect his reputation was suddenly stripped down to a single moment—a moment where he’d mistakenly believed no one was watching, and made a very human mistake. His audience had ensnared him in this moment—disregarding all of his efforts to remain anonymous and perfect.

Now he was a laughingstock.

His fists balled up at his sides, and his vision slowly turned a boiling shade of red. Raihan’s laughter faded away, leaving Bede nothing to grasp but his own hatred—hatred of himself, and of the people mocking him. He could no longer reason with himself. All he wanted was to disappear—and so that’s what he did.

He ran.

* * *

She was still listening to the announcer, waiting patiently for her introduction in the sidelines. All of the gym leaders had been properly introduced, leaving only herself, the champion of Galar, left. Gloria, prepared to finally enter the field; dusted of her Sport Uniform, straightened her hat, and began to walk to the edge of the sidelines.

_It’s almost time for me to go out there—I’m so nervous!_

Stretching her neck and arms, Gloria bounced on the balls of her feet eagerly. The announcer was starting to say her name—she was seconds from her entrance now.

 _All I have to do is smile and wave, and then say my speech,_ she reassured, _Everything is going smoothy—don’t worry about a thing._

“…GALAR’S NEW UNDEFEATED CHAMPION, GLORIA!!!”

Though just as she placed her foot down, ready to burst into a sprint, she looked up and saw it.

Bede was sprinting across the field, his head down and his fists so clenched she could see the taut flexing of his wrists and knuckles. He was running faster than she’d ever seen him—as if his life depended on it, and the rest of the gym leaders were staring in shock as he ran for the exit. Some were even shouting his name.

Not wanting to get bowled over, Gloria stepped to the side quickly so he could pass by—nearly brushing against his shoulder. The small interaction brought him to raise his head, and for possibly a millisecond, the two made eye contact.

Her gaze was one of concern and surprise—a confused lack of understanding toward his sudden demeanor, but Bede’s was far different. A mix of hostility and fear—anger, violence, and hatred, along with alarming distrust and betrayal. But behind those outward expressions, she saw one last emotion: pain.

He was hurt—not physically, but emotionally wrecked by something or someone.

So she let him pass. She only uttered his name as he barreled past her and threw himself into the locker room.

Then, now more nervous than before, Gloria stepped onto the field and gave her welcome speech.

* * *

As soon as the gym leaders left and the registered challengers entered the field, Gloria went searching for Bede.

“Has anyone seen Bede?” Gloria begged the gym leaders, “He’s been gone since the introduction—he needs to come back so we can have our match.”

At the start of each league, the champion and the second placer held a small match. It was mostly for fun and fan service, but it was still a tradition that Gloria didn’t want to skimp out on—especially since it was Bede’s first time being second place.

“No one knows where he went…” Bea sighed, shaking her head, “The boy ran off after _this_ guy did something,” she jabbed her thumb accusatorily at Raihan.

Raihan winced and placed his palm regretfully against his forehead, “Yeah… it’s my fault. I kinda—said something that set him off…”

“You _what!?_ ” Gloria hissed, “You insulted him during the most important ceremony of the year!? Ugh—what were you thinking!?”

“I wasn’t expecting him to bolt like that!” Raihan defended, waving his hands in dismay, “I was just teasing him like how I do to Leon, but he took it personally! Geez—it was a joke…”

“Joke or not, you really screwed this one up, Raihan.” Nessa shook her head, clearly disappointed.

“I did… I’m sorry…”

“Well don’t apologize to _me,_ ” Gloria sighed, “There’s a few minutes left until I have to go back out there. I’m going to look for Bede, you guys hold down the fort here—stall if you have to.”

“But Champion—you’re the most important person here. Shouldn’t someone _else_ go look for him?” Bea argued worriedly.

Gloria shook her head, “I’d agree with you if it were anyone else, Bea. But Bede only listens to a few select people, and I like to believe I’m one of them. I’m afraid no one else could get him to come back except for Opal, and she’s not here today.”

Bea sighed, “That’s true… he’s rather fickle about this sort of thing, isn’t he?”

Without another moment to lose, Gloria exited the lobby and began to search the stadium. She peeked her head in every spare room and closet, but despite her best efforts, Bede was nowhere to be found. Now she was standing outside of the stadium, looking out at Wyndon with a hopeless gaze.

“Where are you, Bede?” she mouthed quietly, “It’s as if he just vanished…”

She sighed, almost ready to give up.

_There’s no point, is there? He’ll have to come back on his own…_

But as she was turning away, she stopped.

 _If I were him, where would I go?_ looking back out at Wyndon, Gloria observed the buildings and parks from Bede’s perspective, _I’d go somewhere without many people, so definitely not the city center. A park would be a good place, but the ones in Wyndon are always so noisy from construction and little kids._

Then she remembered something.

 _There’s only one place I know_ I _go when I want to be alone, and that’s up there._

She was looking at the Battle Tower.

The Battle Tower was the highest building in Wyndon, famous for its elevator—designed to withstand Pokémon battles on a regular basis. It was a popular location for trainers, but also had a select number of indoor shops and restaurants. The reason Gloria visited, however, was so she could enjoy the view on the top floor. The highest floors were only available to the chairman via his special ID pass, however Leon had recently permitted _all_ gym leaders access to the top floor. (Mostly because he wanted to host a few parties up top without worrying about authorization problems.)

 _That’s got to be where he is!_ she concluded, determination spreading across her face, _I better get up there before I run out of time!_

* * *

Though the breeze was intense from where Bede was standing, the view was worth it. His curly hair twisted about in the billowing wind, frizzing and snarling with each gust. His arms were crossed, and he was leaning silently against the rail that separated him from a several hundred-meter drop.

He glanced below, feeling his stomach jolt from the distance.

_Yeesh—that’s high… It’s an amazing view, but I think I’ll step back a bit._

He took a step backwards to sit on a bench instead. Heights were never something he handled well, but as long as he didn’t stand close to the edge, they didn’t bother him.

Bede’s eyes wandered quietly to the tops of the buildings and the distant Ferris wheel. It was a sight to behold—a fantastic view that he could almost lose himself in. The scorning and giggling from earlier seemed a distant memory as he gazed out at the stadium. Raihan and the snickering audience, the girls at the boutique, the loud barista and the lady he bumped into at the café… none of it mattered.

His eyes narrowed.

 _None of it matters_ for now _._ he realized, _As soon as I leave the Battle Tower, It’ll all come back._

Turning his head towards the breeze, Bede allowed the wind blow his bangs out of his eyes, and let his eyelashes fall closed. Even if his peace would only last for a few minutes, he wanted to enjoy it. He was aware of the people now searching for him, aware that he was missing his first match of the year, but he didn’t care. Just thinking about leaving made his blood boil all over again.

_I just want to be alone._

Then behind him, he heard the sliding doors open.

Someone was standing behind him—someone who undoubtedly had roof access like himself. It could be a gym leader, or the chairman, or just a janitor… it could’ve been someone else he didn’t know.

He didn’t want to look.

The breeze continued to blow as Bede waited for the visitor to say something. He knew they were standing there—but yet a minute passed, and not a word was uttered. Then two minutes ticked by, then five… it could’ve been ten minutes without a single word being exchanged.

Then finally, he heard their footsteps.

 _Someone’s up here after all…_ he realized bitterly.

There was a pause.

“Bede.”

His eyes widened. It was a girl speaking—a girl he knew better than most. The sound of her voice was enough for him to turn his head, and sure enough, it was Gloria.

 _Of course,_ he realized with a sigh, _Of all people to look for me, you would find me. I should’ve known._

“What?” he finally huffed back, though it was muffled by his hand propping up his chin.

She sighed and finally came forward to stand next to him.

“I mean… I came up here to pull you back to the stadium, but…” her eyes fluttered sympathetically, “I think I changed my mind.”

He stiffened, noticing the change in her voice. She was always either bubbly and ecstatic, or precise and professional when she spoke. Either way, she was careful and cautious about her wording—but right now, her voice had changed. He assumed it was some form of pity at first, but that was clearly wrong. She seemed not just sympathetic, but relaxed—and she was almost never relaxed, these days.

“What made you change your mind?” he asked quietly again.

“Just… looking at you here. You’re not…” she shook her head, struggling to find the words, “You’re not acting like yourself at all.”

He grunted, _You think?_

“They told me what happened,” she went on, “Raihan feels really bad for what he did… he really wants to apologize to you when he gets the chance. He said you…” her voice trailed off, “Someone caught you on camera?”

He let out a long exhale.

“It’s dumb,” Bede dismissed, “I don’t know why I’m being such a baby over it, honestly. Raihan had the right idea—I should be laughing along with everyone.”

Gloria shook her head, “No… that’s no excuse. In fact… I’ll tell you from experience that this sort of thing makes our jobs really difficult sometimes.” she stared quietly out at the buildings for a moment, “I reckon quitting might’ve crossed your mind once or twice up here. Leaving your job all because of some dumb internet meme… I’ve considered that many times. Frankly, I’m surprised it took this long for the internet to finally take a bite out of you.

“Within my first few months as champion, I was both loved and hated by people across Galar. I received harassment and hate mail from strangers I never met, I was meme-ified, and ridiculed for human mistakes—just like you. Yet here I am, somehow. Still here.”

Gloria shook her head, “It’s worse when I realize I didn’t even _want_ this job in the first place.”

Bede blinked in surprise, finally turning to look at Gloria again, “You didn’t want this job?”

“No, I didn’t. The only reason I joined the league was because I wanted to beat up all of Hop’s opponents. I did everything—battles, gyms, training… all of it was for him. And now…” her eyes closed a little, “I guess I worked so hard I accidentally passed him. Funny how fate works that way…”

She paused thoughtfully for a moment, “I would wonder sometimes: ‘Here I am on the top of Galar, with the strongest team anyone’s ever seen—yet I don’t appreciate any of it. After all… what’s the point, if it was all for you?’ That ‘you’ of course, being Hop.” she shook her head, “I was never able to fully answer that question—even now. But as long as I’m here, I intend to serve Galar with everything I’ve got. I wouldn’t want to disappoint anyone, after all.”

She blinked, and then glanced surprisedly at Bede.

“Oops—sorry! Here I am, top of the Battle Tower to help comfort you, and I ramble life story! H-how embarrassing…”

Bede shrugged, “I don’t mind. In fact… it was a nice distraction from my current situation.”

Gloria’s face softened, “Is that so…?”

For a moment, the two stared off at the city of Wyndon with silent, content gazes. Bede, whom, was never acquainted with silent pauses, glanced silently at Gloria for a moment—wondering if she was going to speak again.

His eyes fell upon her face, quietly studying the horizon. Her hair was tangled by the wind, but somehow still gorgeous as it billowed behind her in the sparkling sunlight. She was still wearing her Sport Uniform, leaving her arms and legs bare to the cold breezes. For some reason, he found his eyes tracing her outline—as if intending to memorize it.

 _Her uniform is… very slim fitting, isn’t it?_ he realized.

Then he shook his head furiously—realizing he was investigating her too closely.

_What am I thinking—this is the Champion I’m gazing at! I shouldn’t allow myself to stare so fondly—_

At this precise moment, a huge gust of wind pushed the two trainers from behind, causing Gloria to yell in surprise. The force of the breeze snatched her beret off of her head, and sent it tumbling to the ground.

“My hat!” she shouted, alarmed, “It’s going to tumble off the edge!”

But he was already chasing it down. Seconds before it was about to blow off of the tower, Bede’s fingers grasped the brim and yanked it away from the edge. Letting out a sigh of relief, he stood up and handed it back to her.

“Perhaps we should talk inside…” Bede mumbled, noticing again how she was rubbing her arms for warmth.

“Yeah… thanks.”

When they stepped back inside, Gloria exhaled deeply from the warmth. Instantly, she began running her fingers through her hair, wincing as she discovered how horribly tangled it now was.

_She must’ve been pretty cold out there. I’m glad I brought her back in…_

“Well,” she piped up suddenly, “I appreciate taking this conversation back indoors, but…” she jabbed her thumb at the elevator, “Thing is… I need to get back to the stadium to finish my introduction. I know the events from earlier are still fresh, so…” she glanced quietly at him, “Do you want me to tell Leon you can’t make it?”

Bede was shocked. He was certain that at some point, Gloria would’ve grabbed him by the collar and dragged him all the way back to the stadium, but she didn’t. She didn’t interrogate him, didn’t prod him, didn’t force him… she just showed up and talked for a bit.

“You’re… not going to interrogate me about why I left?” Bede finally asked.

She hesitated, “There wasn’t a need for me to. I already know what happened, after all… I figured bothering you would only make you more upset.”

He glanced quietly off to the side as she said this. Her response was reasonable, but unexpected. Most people—especially the girls he knew, would’ve prodded him until he exploded his rage onto them. Admittedly, it hurt a bit that Gloria didn’t seem to care much about his why he’d run away, but perhaps that was exactly why she didn’t bring it up in the first place. She’d considered his feelings first, and simply expressed her own sympathies.

He was grateful for that.

Bede sighed, tightening his mouth into a tiny, pursed smile, “You’re right. Thanks for not bothering me. I guess that was exactly what I needed.”

She smiled back at him, “You’re welcome. Does this mean you want to have our match after all?”

He thought for a minute, but shook his head, “I’m sorry, but no. Despite your efforts, I really don’t feel like going back yet.”

She nodded understandingly, “That’s okay. I’ll let Leon know, and we’ll figure something out.” she peered up at him, “I hope you cheer up after all this. I know it can be hard to deal with this sort of thing sometimes, but just keep in mind that memes have a short lifespan. They’ll all forget about it in like a week or so.”

He nodded, “Thanks for the reassurance. I appreciate it.”

She smiled one last time at him before turning towards the elevator. When she pressed the down arrow, Bede knew she only had a few more minutes with him, and for some reason that made him uneasy. Even though he was used to it, there was a nibbling dread in his heart at the thought of being alone.

Somehow, even though she hadn’t said much to him, Bede appreciated her being around. Listening to her ramble on, talking about her experience and about why she became the champion… hearing her words of reassurance and comfort without ever once asking him why he ran away… and even just having her standing there in silence, staring at the same distance he was staring at. It was relieving.

His heartbeat rose.

The doors to the elevator opened, and Gloria started to approach the entrance. Her time here was already coming to an end—she had a job to attend to. Yet…

She stopped.

“Bede?”

No. It wasn’t that she stopped, but that _he’d_ stopped her. Seconds before entering the elevator, his hand instinctively snatched her wrist to keep her from leaving. When she glanced back at him, his grip only tightened.

She could feel his arm quaking as his grasp remained around her slim wrist. His head was down, staring intently at the floor. He didn’t want her to leave yet. She could tell.

Then finally, his voice nearly cracking, he pleaded.

“C-come back.” he whispered, “Come back when you’re done. I…” his grip slackened a bit and he turned away from her, “I don’t want to be alone.”

Those words echoed in Gloria’s ears. She almost didn’t believe them. Bede was always so on top of things. He was prim and proper, never late to any event, and always kept his emotions to himself. But as he stood there, holding Gloria’s wrist in his hand, he finally spoke a word of truth.

He was lonely. Of course he was—who wouldn’t be after going through what he had?

She allowed her fingers to slide into his palm, making him flinch as she started to step away.

“I promise.”

Their hands were intertwined for one last moment before she finally backed into the elevator. As the doors closed, he glanced up to see her face again, and was relieved so see her smiling. Those two words, though they would’ve embarrassed him any normal day, were his strength as she disappeared from his sight to return to the gym.

She was going to come back, and he would wait for her.

Tired, Bede sat down on a bench and let his eyes drift closed—the sound of her voice soothing him to sleep.

_“I promise.”_


	2. Viral Sensation Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bede and Gloria reunite after their talk at the Battle Tower, this time with Marnie (secretly) accompanying her. They all have a proper conversation about what happened at a Café on Picadilly Street.

Jirachi's Twin Timeline: (Present → Past)

  * **Jirachi's Twin Main Story**
  * Thanksgiving SP | You Are Precious
  * Charm and Intellect
  * Viral Sensation _(you are here)_
  * Tear me to Pieces 
  * **Consider a Friend**
    * Christmas SP | Breaking the Ice (between pt. 1 & 2) 



*Bold is a crucial chapter, indented bullet is nested within above chapter, italics is current location

* * *

Gloria waved goodbye to Nessa as she exited the stadium doors. An hour since the ceremony’s end, Bede had stormed out of Wyndon stadium and marched up to the top floor of the Battle Tower. Now that everything was over, Gloria took the liberty of grabbing Bede’s pink duffel to deliver it back into his hands.

After exiting the sliding front doors, she glanced to her left and right sides, then turned into a nearby elevator. Hiking up her hood, Gloria stepped inside without drawing the attention of anyone else inside of the elevator, and proceeded into the monorail waiting just outside.

As she entered, she noticed it was mostly empty. It made a fair amount of sense why—no one else needed to go to the Battle Tower so late in the evening, after all. All the people in the neighboring lobby were most likely waiting for the next trip to Picadilly Street.

After a few minutes of sitting, Gloria felt the monorail come to a sudden stop, and stepped outside of the sliding doors. Then, turning on her heel, she strode up to the Battle Tower and glanced up at the many floors.

“This skyscraper never ceases to amaze me…” she mumbled, in awe about the building’s height.

Just as she was observing the glass windows of the building, however, she noticed something familiar on the second floor. Upon squinting, she spotted a single, white tuft of hair peeking just past the windowsill she was observing from below.

“Is that Bede?” she wondered curiously, “What’s he doing on the second floor?”

As she entered the building and turned into the elevator, she wondered what he could possibly be up to.

“Maybe I’ll surprise him!” she snickered.

When the doors opened, Gloria stepped silently onto the second floor with her hands in her pockets and her hood pulled over her head. From the corner of her eye, she saw Bede standing off to the side of what appeared to be a food vendor. He was ruffling through a brown paper bag, mumbling something just out of earshot.

Quickly, Gloria stepped out of sight behind a potted plant just right of the elevator, and waited as Bede started walking into view.

“I should probably go back up now—Gloria’s bound to be here soon…”

She smirked from her hiding place, eyes glittering as he got closer to the elevator.

Then, pausing one last second, Gloria rushed around the plant and tossed her arms up in the air with a loud: “RAWR!”

Bede screamed, nearly dropping his bag as he stumbled backwards and fell onto his rear end. There was a brief pause before Gloria lifted her hood and began to laugh maniacally at his dispense.

“G-Gloria…” he gasped, eyes changing from terror to annoyance as he stood back up, “What the heck was that for!?” I nearly dropped my—" for some reason he paused, glanced at the bag, and mumbled, “stuff.”

She was too busy laughing to notice the trip of his tongue, “I’m sorry—I couldn’t help it!” she gasped, wiping away a tear, “I just saw you up here and thought I’d say hello,” she grinned for another moment before removing the strap of Bede’s duffel from around her front, “Here’s your bag by the way. Thought I’d grab it for you.”

“Ah… thanks,” he took the bag into his hands and swiftly swung it across himself like Gloria had done, “I was just about to text you if you’d grab it.”

Before either of them could continue talking, a sudden voice broke into their conversation.

“So _this_ is where you’ve been hiding!”

Both of them spun around in surprise. Standing just before them at the entrance of the elevator was Marnie.

“Marnie!?” Bede gawked.

“Huh? How’d you get here!?”

She huffed annoyedly in response, “Well obviously I followed you, Gloria. You seriously didn’t think I _wouldn’t_ after the ‘Bede incident’?”

Bede grimaced dreadfully at her, “Is that what people are calling it…?”

She ignored him and went on, “After you disappeared durin’ the challenger’s walk, everyone assumed you were dead sure of where Bede went and that you’d bring ‘em back—but you came back empty-handed!” she placed her hands on her hips, “Now in my opinion, I thought that was weird enough—but you proceeded ta’ grab Bede’s bag on the way out, and were even lookin’ around while you were leavin’ as if you were up to no good,” she shook her head, “After seein’ all that, I thought I’d follow y’ here, and sure enough, you two are dilly-dallying here like a pair a’ lovebirds. Honestly…”

“L-Love—what!?” Bede sputtered.

“Wah, Marnie caught me…” Gloria whined, feigning tears, “I guess you found out our little secret.”

“Wait… Gloria—” he turned to face her.

“Oh? So it’s true then?” Marnie’s eyes suddenly lit up with intrigue.

“Yes! I met him here instead of doing my duties as Champion—I’m such a bad girl…” she sobbed.

Bede stood there blankly as the two of them continued their strange charade.

_What on earth are they talking about???_

Finally done, Gloria spun back to Bede with a smile on her face, “Well that’s all in the past now, anyway. Since we’re all together, we should go somewhere.”

“Oooh I like the sound of that!” Marnie glanced at Bede, “Only question is whether or not ‘fairy boy’ here likes to have actual fun.”

“Could you stop it with that obnoxious nickname?” he sighed, “You guys want to do something fun? Well honestly…” Bede hesitated, “I’m not really in the mood for that kinda stuff today… really.”

Marnie pouted frustratedly at him, “You’re _never_ in the mood though… what’s so different this time?”

Gloria’s face, on the other hand, softened with sympathy as she recalled why he was here in the first place.

In the brief pause, Marnie took a moment to glance around the room, “Speaking of which—why are you _here_ of all places? Heck—why did ya’ suddenly run off during the opening ceremony!? That lil’ stunt you pulled just got your face plastered all over the news!”

Bede stiffened, and his head turned distraughtly to the left as she blinked at him.

“That’s… none of your business,” then he stepped past them and entered the elevator, “Let’s go.”

The ride back to the first floor was awkwardly quiet as they descended. When the doors finally opened back up again, everyone wordlessly stepped into the main entrance and began to approach the exit.

“Say Bede…” Gloria piped up suddenly, staring curiously at the brown bag in his left hand, “What’s even in there, anyway?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, “This?” then he paused, “Just some lunch I got while I was here. I’ll eat it later though…”

“Oooh lunch?” she eyed it again, “Can I see what you got?”

Shocked she was still curious, Bede took a quick step backwards, “What—no! I bought this with my own money, thanks!”

Confused, she reached forward towards the bag, “I just want to see what’s in it…”

He pulled it away from her again and backed off even farther away, “No means no!”

Gloria glanced confusedly at Marnie.

“It’s just food though—why’re you suddenly so protective?”

“Tch—I said it’s none of your business!”

Then Marnie placed her pointer finger on her chin in realization, “Oh—could it be he bought something like _that?_ ”

Gloria and Bede blinked confusedly at her.

“Like what?” Gloria asked.

She sent Bede a disgusted glance, “You know… one of _those._ ”

Bede just stared in disbelief as Gloria suddenly understood.

“Wha—no Marnie! There’s no way he’s that kind of person!” she shuddered.

“But is it really so unbelievable? I mean look at him—he’s _Bede._ 1,000+ girl cult following, Bede. You know how suave he likes to be, despite the fact he’s antisocial n’ doesn’t go on dates…”

“What are you two talking about again? What is this mysterious _thing_ you keep referring to!?”

Both girls turned away and began speaking in more hushed voices.

“But that’s the thing—maybe he’s not even interested in girls! He just brushes them off, so it’s possible right?”

“I doubt it Gloria. Somehow I think his lack of a girlfriend makes it more reasonable he’d purchase that sort of thing…”

“No way!” she squeaked, covering her face.

“Ugh—will you two please tell me what you’re talking about!?”

Marnie grimaced at him again, “You sicken me, Bede.”

Gloria shuddered, “I-If you’re so insistent on keeping this purchase a secret, what else can it be?”

He opened his mouth to protest, but found his cheeks suddenly crawling with red.

It occurred to him, that the only reason for someone to hide their purchase so insistently, is because they bought something dirty—like for example, a specific magazine.

_Oh. Oh no—that’s not—THAT’S NOT WHAT I BOUGHT!_

“I—you—it’s a misunderstanding!” he stammered, “I would never—you seriously think so little of me!?”

Marnie and Gloria both pouted simultaneously at him.

_Oh wow I was right._

“Now let’s get going already…” he huffed, stomping through the glass sliding doors.

Behind him, Gloria and Marnie plotted for one more moment to figure out how to see what was in the bag. Then, with a nod, Gloria called out Bede’s name.

“Bede! Can I just… make sure of something really quick?”

Rubbing his eyes in annoyance, he turned back to look at her, “What do you want?”

“Well you see…” tucking her hair behind her ear, Gloria slowly approached him, “I’m just still worried about it…”

“About… what—the bag…?” he scowled, “It’s not what you think, Gloria.”

“But—” she suddenly stepped closer to him, “I’m worried now! So you see… I just want to ask you…” without any sort of warning, she strode very close to him—only leaving less than a few centimeters between their two gazes.

It was an eerily close distance that no girl had ever attempted with him before. The sight of her beautiful lashes and the scent of her fresh perfume suddenly overwhelmed his senses as she started to gaze innocently into his eyes.

She was within kissing distance.

“One… little… favour,” she whispered.

He couldn’t breathe.

“Wh… what kind of favour…?”

“It’s just… I need…”

There were about two centimeters distance from her lips to his as she whispered to him. When she spoke, he could feel her breath on his face—and it was a sensation that brought a lightning-like rattle of nerves down his spine, causing his grip on his bag to slacken.

Which was a mistake.

“This!”

Suddenly, she snatched the bag out of his hand, and made a mad-sprint across the courtyard of the Battle Tower for the monorail. Marnie joined her, leaving an angry, cursing Bede behind them.

“Screw you two!” he shouted furiously as he sped forward to catch up.

“EEK! He’s gaining!” Gloria shrieked over her shoulder.

Marnie just laughed.

Moments before she reached the elevator, Bede finally closed the distance and snatched the hood of Gloria’s sweater. Though successful at finally stopping her, the force of his sudden halt brought both Gloria and Bede tumbling to the ground along with the mysterious paper bag. More concerned about the contents, Bede scrambled for it, and managed to catch it seconds before collapsing on top of Gloria’s back.

They both groaned in pain.

“You two are ridiculous,” Marnie sighed, a smug grin on her face.

“This is what you get for taking my stuff—ow!” Bede mumbled, but was interrupted by a sudden kick as Gloria tried to wriggle out from underneath Bede.

“Get off! You’re squishing me!”

“Geez, fine! I’m off!” he stumbled off to the side, allowing Gloria room to finally get back on her feet.

“Golly… for a guy with such little muscle mass, how do you manage to weigh so much?”

“ _Excuse me!?_ I didn’t _ask_ for you to steal my treats!”

There was a brief pause.

“Wait… _treats?_ _That’s_ what’s in the bag?” Marnie clarified incredulously.

 _Oh shoot…_ Bede moaned, _Now Gloria knows._

“ _Yes,_ ” Bede grunted, finally opening the top of the bag, “I bought a bunch of desserts. Stop harassing me about it, alright?”

“Wait—but why go to such lengths to hide a bunch of treats!?” Gloria gaped at him.

He narrowed his eyes at her, “Wouldn’t any guy be embarrassed if someone found out about their sweet tooth?”

“Not _really…_ ” Marnie shrugged.

He rolled his eyes at her and proceeded to re-roll the top of the bag. As he was doing so, however, Gloria made a sudden gasp.

“What is it _now?_ ”

“Beeede!” she was suddenly begging with her fingers intertwined and her eyes glittering with expectation.

_Dang it—this is what I was afraid of._

“I-is that a chocolate raspberry tart!?”

He grimaced, “Yes Gloria, it is.”

“Oooh—” she paused, nibbling her lower lip anxiously, “Bede, I’m really sorry I stole your bag, but I mean I _did_ drop off your duffel and I _did_ help you feel better earlier, didn’t I? Didn’t I Bede?”

He swore there were literal sunbeams shining from her face as she pleaded to him.

“Ugh… I _knew_ this would happen. Why do you think I kept it a secret?”

She didn’t respond. She just continued to beg like a hopeless puppy at the mercy of Bede’s generosity.

“Fine!” he re-opened the top of the bag and snatched up the delicately wrapped tart, “Take it! But you owe me four-hundred fifty for that!”

“Wha—hey! If I’da known you were gonna charge me I wouldn’t have asked…” she huffed, unwrapping the plastic wrap despite Bede’s threat—knowing full well he wouldn’t force her to pay it anyway.

As she happily took a bite out of the tart, Bede glanced over at Marnie who was also spying the bag with curiosity.

He glared at her and withdrew a cake pop.

“Oh? I never said I wanted—”

“Take it before I change my mind,” he huffed, “I’m only doing this because it’s fair.”

Without a thank you, she took the cake pop and happily indulged herself as the trio entered the elevator.

“Let’s head to th’ Battle Café on Picadilly Street,” Marnie suggested suddenly, tossing the wrapping of her cake pop into a nearby garbage bin, “Since Bede loves sweets so much, I’m sure he’ll feel right at home.”

The back of his neck heated as she said this, and he could feel his insides burn with embarrassment.

“Hehehe,” Gloria suddenly giggled, glancing humorously at Bede, “Bede likes sweets. That’s so cute for someone normally so strict!”

“Sh-shut-up…” he bit back, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“Next time I want something from you, I’ll keep this in mind,” she grinned again, “I can use them as bribery!”

* * *

They chatted all the way back to Picadilly Street, and upon entering the Battle Café, the group of three occupied a table near the back of the room. Before taking a seat, each one of them had ordered drinks up front, and carried them over towards their table. Bede, secretly excited to dig into his snacks, withdrew two more cake pops, a small set of macarons, and a slice of gateau.

“Gosh you bought a lot of snacks…” Marnie marveled, flicking her cake pop stick into a nearby trash can.

He grunted, “A-admittedly, I was stress eating. Normally I don’t buy this much stuff! And besides… I’m saving these things for later, mostly…” he glanced at the gateau, “But I guess I’ll dig into the gateau… and maybe a macaron…”

Across him, Gloria and Marnie were grinning smugly.

“Don’t give me that look! Hmph…”

“Maybe _this_ is the reason you weighed so much back there!” Gloria giggled.

“Tch—don’t be ridiculous! I eat healthily too, of course. (After all, the more vegetables I have, the more sweets I can have afterwards…)”

Everyone went quiet for a moment as Marnie and Gloria took sips of their drinks, and Bede took a bite out of his cake.

“Stress eating, huh?” Marnie suddenly mumbled.

Bede’s fork stopped momentarily on the way to his mouth.

“What happened to ya’ today, Bede?” she locked eyes with him, startling him into dropping his forkful of cake onto his lap.

“That—um…” he sighed, wiping the cake off with a napkin, “It’s… complicated.”

“Right…” she paused, “does it have anythin’ to do with that viral video of you hittin’ a mannequin?”

He winced.

“Thought so,” she took another sip of her Frappuccino, “Frankly I’m jus’ shocked it took you this long to finally notice.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Notice what?”

“The media, obviously. Do you realize how long online trolls ‘ave been targetin’ you? Pretty much since you became gym lea’er.”

“Wait—seriously? I had no idea…”

“That’s ‘cuz you rarely use your social media, doofus,” she sighed, “It’s good that you haven’t been bothered all this time by it, but ignorance only lasts until ya’ figure out the truth. Right now, I bet it just sank in how scarily vicious online trolls are—hm Bede?”

His mouth thinned as she said this, and he nodded silently, “It’s true… I never noticed until now. I guess that’s why this all came as such a shock. It suddenly felt like the whole stadium was laughing at me…”

“Well it didn’t help Raihan prodded you about it too…” Gloria sighed.

“I can’t exactly say I feel one-hundred percent _bad_ for you though, just so ya’ know,” Marnie piped up.

Gloria spun to face her, “Marnie? Hold on why would you say something like that—”

“I kept tryin’ to warn you, Bede,” she shook her head firmly, “Heck, just a week ago we were shoppin’ together, and I told you how your fans were gettin’ restless ‘bout your uniform, but no—you turned it on me and complained about how my uniform choice was always ‘showy’ and that I lusted for attention.”

Suddenly the room felt ominously vast. Marnie’s cutting word choice had singlehandedly stomped out the sympathetic mood, replacing it with one of dread.

Bede placed a hand on his forehead, “Arceus—I almost forgot…” he lowered his head, “Marnie—I’m so sorry about what I said that day… I was out of line—”

“No—listen to me for a moment.” she cut in.

Bede fell silent immediately.

“Do you realize how hard it is to be famous?” she paused, “When you first became gym leader, the internet had a _lot_ to say about you. I read it—people said pretty horrible stuff about you being an attention hog, and not deserving a spot as a gym leader. But then when you became popular with the ladies, suddenly Gloria and I were getting flamed on a regular basis. People were accusing us of _‘sharing’_ you—in a bad way—and all these other horrible things…

“Suddenly my media got blown up with haters, and I became self-conscious about my uniform. Have you noticed I was wearing my jacket out on the field today?”

He looked down guiltily, _No… I was too focused on myself, wasn’t I?_

“Marnie—that’s enough,” Gloria cut in, “Sure, he must’ve said something totally out of line, but whatever it was, I don’t think he meant to say it—”

“No Gloria,” Bede interrupted suddenly, placing his fork carefully down on the table, “Let me handle this please.”

His fists clenched, Bede took in a deep breath and sighed.

“Marnie, I’m going to be honest with you because I know you don’t accept bullcrap. So… I meant what I said that day—about you…” she turned away from him fiercely, “But that’s exactly why I’m so angry at myself right now.”

When he finally looked up, Marnie’s breath caught in her throat. There was an agonized look in his eyes that stirred the hearts of both girls. His pupils were dark, and the light completely absent from the angle he was sitting. It seemed as if they were staring into a pair of weeping, purple voids.

“All this time, I—” he scowled angrily and shook his head, “I’ve been unfair to you two. Marnie—I was truly being a jerk that day. It was uncalled for, but I’m not going to deny the blame for it. I said those things—I hurt you for no reason when you _chose_ to look out for me…

“And Gloria, you…” his eyes softened as he whispered her name, “You’ve been so kind. Day in, day out—it’s unfailing that I witness your smile these days, and I’ve started taking advantage of it. I keep shoving you two and saying horrible things that I really shouldn’t be saying, and then I wonder why I have hardly any friends? I’m honestly such a dimwit.”

His nails dug into his palms.

“It’s so unfair to you two. I kept wondering how you managed keeping me around when I just leeched off of your kindness… but you know—that’s the wrong question I’ve been asking myself. I should’ve been questioning _why_ I’ve been leeching off of you two— _why_ I’ve been hurting you, and you know what? I still can’t figure that out! I—”

Suddenly he hiccupped, and both Gloria and Marnie went stiff.

He was shaking, biting his bottom lip with all of his might to the point a droplet of blood started to drip down his chin, and his eyes and eyebrows were so angrily knitted, he looked as if he were about to crumble apart.

He couldn’t speak because he was trying too hard not to burst into tears.

They glanced at each other, both of them realizing they hadn’t said anything at all yet in response.

Marnie, feeling too guilty for bringing up Bede’s mean comment while he was feeling vulnerable, set her gaze silently down on the floor as a small blush curled across her cheeks.

Gloria on the other hand, let her eyes soften. She extended her arm forward slowly, and with the delicacy of an angel, let her fingers rest over his curled fists.

“It’s alright now, Bede. You’re hurting—you have been all this time, and you finally realize it. Don’t worry about what we’ve been trying to tell you, or what you’ve said to us in the past. Friendship is all about forgiving and letting things go. It’s your turn now.”

Upon hearing her words, his left hand flew up to cover his mouth, and tears forced themselves out of the corners of his heartbroken eyes. His closed right hand, which now remained caressed under Gloria’s, finally relaxed, and he rested his head defeatedly down on the table.

“C-come on…” he choked, “that’s not fair of you to say—I can’t handle such nice words—”

But his own sobs interrupted his speech, and for a moment he just remained there in the corner of the café, crying like a lost child. With each shaky gasp, Gloria ran her thumb over his knuckles as if to coax out the rest of his tears, while Marnie simply held her hand over her heart as she stared down at the tile.

Then, when his sobs were reduced to sniffs, Bede finally managed a broken, “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry you two h-had to put up with me—and that I never apologized until now… I’m stupid. I’m really, really stupid…”

Finally, he withdrew his hand from under Gloria’s, and wiped the tears away from his face with his sleeves.

“Better now?” Marnie asked, managing a pained smile.

He nodded, “I think… gosh that kinda felt good, actually…” he grimaced, “in a… really embarrassing way.”

They both smiled sweetly at him.

“Aww, starting to get back to normal already I see.”

Marnie grinned, “Yeah—you shoulda’ seen yourself. You were clinging to Gloria like a baby.”

He jolted back in his seat, his face now red with embarrassment rather than tears, “I w-was not! It just—felt nice!”

“So you admit you liked it then, eh?” she shot back.

Too disoriented from crying, Bede ignored the comment and angrily began devouring the rest of his gateau, “On second thought, these desserts won’t last me the rest of the night! I don’t care what you two say—I’m eating my stresses away.”

Gloria and Marnie laughed wholeheartedly as he inhaled the remainder of what used to be a lovely cake, “Man you’re ravenous when you’re stressed! I’ll make sure to keep sweets on me from now on if you ever get overwhelmed again!”

Sniffing once, he turned back to her with his mouth now stuffed with gateau, “What about that stuff you said regarding my eating habits earlier? I don’t think more sweets’ll do me any good. I bribe _myself_ as much as it is, anyway…”

As they continued to laugh together, Marnie smiled quaintly from the opposite end of the table. She was feeling guilty about scolding Bede earlier, but somehow everything had turned out alright. In fact, she reckoned the ravenous, flustered Bede sitting before her was the most real and genuine version of himself the two girls had ever seen—and it felt amazing.

 _What a mess this has become…_ Marnie thought to herself, _but I suppose it was worth it in the end. Except…_ she placed her hand back over her heart, _ever since you gave me that hurt puppy look—it’s like my heart won’t sit still._

She peered back up at them, realizing Gloria and Bede were now suddenly in a minor food fight—flicking blobs of cake at each other with their forks. Huffing exasperatedly, Marnie rolled her eyes as she diffused the war going on between them, reminding them harshly they were going to get themselves kicked out if they continued fighting.

 _Honestly boy… it was easier back when I hated you,_ Marnie realized, leaning back in her chair, _If only I could go back to such simple days… I suppose it’s too late now._


End file.
